Stencilling apparatus



W. L. GOVAN STENCILLING APPARATUS Nov. 7, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 11, 1960 INVENTOR WILLIAM L. GOVAN AGENT.

Nov. 7, 1961 w. GOVAN 3,007,396

STENCIL-LING APPARATUS Filed March 11, 1960 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 F IG. 2.

DATA INTERPRETATION 2 AND STORAGE DEVICE INVENTOR WILLIAM L. GOVANAGENT.

Nov. 7, 1961 w. GOVAN STENCILLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March11, 1960 mm J c c INVENTOR WIIAM L. GOVAN AGENT m oc States PatentedNov. 7, 1961 3,007,396 STENCILLING APPARATUS William L. Govan,Hicksville, N.Y., assignor to Baldwin- Lima-Hamilton Corporation,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 11, 1960,Ser. No. 14,335 8 Claims. (Cl. 101-42) This invention relates tostencilling apparatus for marking data on an article and moreparticularly to apparatus of the type in which in a first stepcharacteristics of the article are determined, e.g., the weight and/ orlength thereof, and then stencil means are automatically set to indicatethese characteristics.

A stencilling machine of the aforesaid type is disclosed in thecopending application of Adrian Phillips et al. for Stencilling Machine,Serial No. 553,474, filed December 16, 1955, now US. Patent No. 2,943,-562, issued July 5, 1960. According to the copending application,individual stencil devices are positioned by means of cams and pairs ofelectric contacts.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved stencillingapparatus which is particularly suitable for rugged service and requireslittle maintenance.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved stencillingapparatus in which fluid motors are used to set individual stencildevices, and in which the arrangement is such that the required numberof stencil positions are obtained by means of a minimum number ofmotors.

'It is also an object of the invention to provide an improvedstencilling apparatus in which the stencil devices move directly fromone position to another without sensing the adjustment of controls atintermediate positions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improvedstencilling apparatus in which the stencil devices are positivelystopped in their adjusted positions without the use of latching means.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention by wayof example,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of stencilling apparatus according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a partly diagrammatic end view taken in the direction of thearrow 2 of MG. 1, accessories such as flexible hoses being omitted andcertain parts being broken away for better illustration;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section generally taken on line 33 of FIG. 2 andshowing various parts in their Zero positions;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3, some parts being brokenaway;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a section similar to FIG. 3 but showing the parts in.different positions;

FIG. 7 is a section taken on line 77 of FIG. 4 but with the partspositioned in accordance with FIG. 6.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, it is herein described inconnection with marking the weight and length upon a pipe or tube, butit will be readily apparent that the machine may be arranged to handleother articles or to indicate diflerent data.

Referring to the drawings, a ipe or tube is shown at 10 (FIG. 2) inphantom in its data generating position where characteristics thereofare determined by a weigh bridge 12 and a length measuring devicegenerally indicated at 14. The latter may be of the type disclosed inUS. Patent No. 2,831,254 of Adrian Phillips et al.

issued April 22, 1958. The mechanism of the length measuring device ishere arranged above the weigh bridge 12 and supported on a framework 16,the ends of the pipe being engaged by feelers indicated at 18.

Transfer members 20 are arranged to be lifted as shown in chain lines at20' and serve in conjunction with skid bars 22 to move the pipe from thedata generating position 10 onto stands 23 carrying motorized rollers 24which advance the pipe axially so that it will arrive at its stencillingstation indicated at 10 where the end of the pipe rests on a support 26(FIG. 1). The pipe will remain in this position until it is removedtherefrom by arms 27. V

A stationary frame -30 has a horizontally disposed, boomlike portion 32which extends over the end of pipe 10 in cantilever fashion so that thepipe may be moved freely to and across the stencilling position. Frame30 supports an actuator in the form of a double-acting fluid motorindicated at 34 which is provided with guiding means 38, 40 andconnected to a turnbuckle 42 adjustable by means of a handwheel 44.Secured to the turnbuckle is a clevis 46 (FIG. 2) to carry a stencilcasing generally indicated at 50. Spaced rods 52 attached to upperportion 54 of casing 50 are movable in perforated lugs 56 of frame 30 toguide the casing and prevent it from turning.

Intermediate or tie members 58 in the form of channel sections aresecured to the upper portion 54 of casing 50 to carry a bottom or lowerportion generally indicated at 60, the tie members being amply spacedfrom each other so as to facilitate access to the interior of thecasing. The bottom portion 60 comprises a solid rear wall 62 and solidlateral walls 64 (FIG. 3). At the front end, a bar '66 is fixed to thetop of the lateral walls 64, and another bar 68 (FIG. 4) is fixed to theunderside of the lateral walls, leaving portions of the front end ofbottom 60 open to facilitate the mounting and dismounting of parts to beinserted thereinf Intermediate walls 70 (FIG. 5) cooperate with eachother and with the lateral walls 64, as Well as with rails 72 attachedto the walls, to form relatively large parallel slideways 74 (FIG. 5)and smaller Ways 76.

A frame-like holder 78 (FIGS. 4 and 7) having openings 79 therein isattached to each of the lateral walls 64 to carry a masking member 80 ata substantial distance from the lower face of bottom portion 60. Thearrangement is such that ample space is provided for the passage ofspraying equipment between bottom 60 and member 80 as described later.Masking member 80 which is shaped to conform to the surface of pipe 10has windows 82. therein and may be considered as representing thestenciling station.

A plurality of series, or of rows, of fluid motors generally indicatedat A to G (FIG. 3) are arranged in the slideways 74 of bottom portion 60and may be pneumatically operated, the motors of each series having asingle common axis, i.e., the axes of the motors coincide. The series Acomprises double-acting fluid motors or units A-l, A-2, A-3, A-4arranged in tandem; series B comprises double-acting fluid motors B-l,13-2, 13-3, B-4 likewise arranged in tandem, etc. Fluid motor or unitA-1 has a cylinder designated A1c and a piston designated A-1p, the nextfluid motor A-2 has a cylinder A-Zc and a piston A-Zp and so forth.

As used herein, the term piston includes both the piston head and thepiston rod. Further, depending upon which part performs the strokemovement of an individual fluid motor, either its cylinder or its pistonwill be referred to as being active, the other part being considered thepassive member of the unit though this part may be taken along whenadjacent active members perform their movements.

In the series indicated at A, the first cylinder A40 is active as it isreciprocable over and floating on the first piston A-lp. Secured to head92 of the first cylinder is a block 94 which is movable in therespective slideway 74 of casing 50. Block 94 serves to support andguide the first cylinder and also has a downwardly directed extension 96(compare FIGS. 4 and thereon to drive parts described later. The firstpiston A417 is passive within its unit A4 but secured to the secondpiston A-2p by means of a coupling 100 so that the passive first pistonwill participate in movements of the second piston which in turn isactive and reciprocable in the second cylinder A2c. This second cylinderrepresents the passive member of its unit though it will be taken alongwhen succeeding units are actuated. Secured to the head 92 of the secondcylinder is a movable intermediate support block 104 which is generallysimilar to block 94 and likewise guided in the respective slideway 74but has no downward extension. The third cylinder A-3c has its head 92fastened to block 104 and is active in that it is reciprocable over andfloating on the passive third piston A-3p secured to the active fourthpiston A-4p at 100. Piston A-4p is reciprocable in the passive last orfourth cylinder A-4c, the head 92 of which is anchored to casing 50 bymeans of a clevis block 108. The latter is positioned close to, but at ashort distance from, the rear wall 62. It will be clear from theforegoing description that each passive member is mounted to remainstationary relative to casing 50 upon actuation of the respective motoronly. As indicated in FIG. 6, each of the cylinders is provided with aport 112 controlling forward movement, and a port 114 for reversal.

A plurality of variable data stencil devices are generally indicated atA420 to G420 (FIGS. 4 and 7), each of the devices being connected to oneof the series of fluid motors A to G. As certain details of the stencildevices are identical, it will be sufficient to describe these detailsin connection with one of the devices, i.e., the assembly E420 shown inFIG. 4. To some extent, the shape of the device is similar to that of abow of a violin. Thus, stencil device E420 comprises a strip or bar E422representing the back of the bow, a pair of arms E424 fastened to thebar, and a stencil element E-130. One of the ends of bar E422 is securedto the downwardly directed extension 96 of the respective movable block94. To guide the other end and intermediate portions of bar E422 forrectilinear movement in casing 50, a pair of transverse members 132 aresecured to the top of the bar and engage one of the slideways 76 ofcasing 50. Stencil element E430 which is preferably made from flexiblesheet metal is attached to the arms E424 by means of clevises 136 and aturnbuckle 138 adjusted so that the stencil element will engage theunderside of masking member 80 snugly.

Referring now to the stencil element A430 cooperating with the fluidmotor series A, a plurality of symbols are cut therethrough to representthe digits 0 to 9. The individual symbols are equally spaced from eachother and to simplify the matter, it will be assumed here that thedistance from the center of one symbol to the center of the next symbolamounts to one inch, though the spacing may be somewhat larger inpractice. To bring individual symbols selectively into registry with therespective window 82 of masking member 80 at the stencilling station,fluid motor A4 has a stroke of one inch, motor A-2 a stroke of twoinches, motor A-3 a stroke of three inches, and motor A-4 a stroke offour inches, based on the assumed uniform distance of one inch betweenthe centers of the symbols. Thus, the stroke of fluid motor A4 is equalto the uniform distance be tween symbol centers, and the stroke of eachof the other motors of the series is a multiple of this distance.

In the example illustrated, weight of the pipes is within the range fromzero to 3999 pounds and is indicated by means of the stencil devicesA420 to D420 which form a group. To cover this range of weight, thestencil devices A420 to C420 representing digits, tens, and hundreds ofpounds, respectively, are of identical design, while the stencil deviceD420 representing thousands of pounds is shorter, its stencil elementD430 carrying the symbols 1 to 3 only and having a blank space at itsZero area. In accordance therewith, the fluid motor series A, B and Care identical, except for the fact that the series B has an elongatedclevis block 109 which for ease of mounting is disposed in a staggeredposition relative to the adjacent blocks 108 and may abut rear wall 62as shown. The fluid motor series D is limited to motor D4 having astroke of one inch, and motor D-2 having a stroke of two inches, theclevis block 108 of series D being mounted close to the center of thebottom portion 60 of casing 50. In all other respects the series D issimilar to the series A.

Length of the pipes handled on the apparatus shown is within the rangefrom zero to 59 ft. 11 in. Stencil device E- serves to show inchesmeasured and its element E430 has symbols therein in the form ofnumerals 00 to 11. Digits of feet are indicated by means of stencildevice F420 which is identical with devices A420 to C420 and carries thesymbols 0 to 9 on its element F430, while tens of feet are shown bystencil device G420 which is relatively short as its stencil elementG430 carries the symbols 1 to 5 only, a blank space being provided atits zero area. In accordance therewith, the fluid motor series Bcomprises unit E-1 having a stroke of one inch, unit E-2 having a strokeof two inches, and units E-3 and E4 each having a stroke of four inches,the clevis block 108 of series E abutting the rear wall 62. Otherwise,the series E is similar to the series A. Fluid motor series F isidentical with the series A, whereas fluid motor series G is identicalwith the series A up to and including its third unit only. No fourthunit is required for the series G in view of the relatively short lengthof the associated stencil element G430, the piston of motor F-3 beinganchored to casing 50 by means of a clevis block 110.

The chief characteristics of the various motor series and of theassociated stencil elements are summarized in the following table:

Series Symbols Strokes o1 Motors As indicated in FIG. 2, the weighbridge 12 and length measuring device 14 have connections at 146 and148, respectively, for transmitting input signals to a datainterpretation and storage device 150 of any well-known type which mayinclude a computer and digital translator. When the device 150 isdischarged, it is capable of transmitting a plurality of signalsrepresenting weight and length figures, through a plurality of outputcircuits indicated at 152. In the embodiment illustrated, the signalsare in the form of voltages.

Mounted on frame 30 are a plurality of valves 156 operated by doublesolenoids 157. Some of the valves are positioned on one side of theframe with the other valves being arranged on the opposite side (seeFIGS. 1 and 2). The solenoids 157 are connected to the circuits 152.Each valve 156 controls one of the fluid motors of series A to G bymeans of flexible hoses 158 leading to the openings 112, 114 at oppositeends of the individual cylinders.

In addition to the variable data stencil devices described,

soo /yen the apparatus may comprise means for indicating a message whichremains fixed during a production run. Such message may include the nameof the manufacturer, nominal size of the pipe, grade of material or thelike. A stencil device for this purpose is generally indicated at 170.This device extends longitudinally of the pipe and is arranged to belifted and lowered by an actuator in the form of a fluid motor indicatedat 172. Details of the stencil device 170 for the fixed message are notdescribed here as they are not necessary for the understanding of theinvention.

Equipment for applying a marking substance or fluid to the stencildevices is mounted on a pair of rigid rods 180 which are suspended fromframe 30, and to which a beam 182 is secured. A spray gun carriage 184of any suitable type is movable along beam 182 through means such as amotor-driven chain drive (not shown) and has a pair of nozzles 186attached thereto for the discharge of marking fluid.

Operation It will be clear from the foregoing description that when apipe is in the position shown in phantom at in FIG. 2, signals will begenerated in accordance with the weight and length of the pipe and willbe transmitted to the data interpretation and storage device 150 throughthe connections 146, 148. After the required data have been stored, thetransfer arms are operated to move the pipe over skid bars 22 onto themotorized rollers 24 so that the pipe will be advanced axially thereonand its end will rest on support 26 in the position shown in full linesat 10. At this time, stencil casing 50 and stencil device 170 are inelevated positions as indicated in chain lines at 50 and 170" so thatpipes of various sizes may be deposited onthe rollers 24 withoutinterference and, further, the stencil devices A-120 to G-120 are freeto move for adjustment relative to their casing 50 without contactingthe pipe to be stencilled.

While the pipe travels to the position 10, or when it has reached thisposition, the device 150 is caused to dis. charge and deliver signalsthrough its output circuits 152 to the solenoid-operated valves 156.These valves will thus be adjusted in accordance with characteristics ofthe pipe and will actuate certain fluid motors of series A to G to setindividual stencil devices properly.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the parts positioned to indicate certain exemplaryweight and length figures. Due to adjustment of the respective valve,port 112 of motor A-1 communicates with a source of fluid pressure (notshown) while port 114 of this motor is connected to exhaust.Accordingly, cylinder A-1c which is the active member of this unit hasbeen caused to move forward through its stroke of one inch so that thesymbol 1 of element A-130 is at the stencilling station. At the sametime, motors A-2, A-3 and A-4 have their ports 112 connected to exhaustand their ports 1 14 closed or connected to the source of fluid pressureso that these motors are prevented from carrying out a forward strokeand in eifect their cylinders and pistons are locked in their positionsrelative to each other. The other series of fluid motors are operated ina similar manner for either single or cumulative action of theirindividual units as will be apparent from the following table in whichall actuated units are indicated to denote a weight of 3421 pounds and alength of 59 ft. 11 in.:

Efieetive Symbol D-1 and D-2.

11-1 to E-4 incl. F-2 to F-4 incl. G2 and G-3.

Weight:

Distances which individual blocks 94 travel from zero position inshifting symbols 1, 2, etc., to the stencilling station, are indicatedby correspondingly numbered chain lines at the righthand side of FIG. 6.

It will be evident that the described arrangement of a limited number offluid motors permits a comparatively large numberof adjustments. In thecase of series B, for example, only four fluid motors are required toobtain eleven adjusted positions of the stencil elements.

The total number of possible combinations of actuated motors in oneseries equals 2 1, wherein n represents the number of motors. Thus, inthe case of series G the total number of possible combinations is One ofthese combinations amounts to a duplication for the purposes of thisinvention as the simultaneous actuation of motors G1 and G-2 wouldresult in a total stroke of three inches as likewise obtained by theactuation of motor G-3 alone. Further, actuation of all three motors ofthis series is not required in the example described in view of thelimited length of the tubes to be handled. The remaining combinations ofseries G are all fully utilized to obtain five different adjustedpositions of stencil element 6-130.

It should also be noted that the stencil devices are caused to movedirectly from one location to another without sensing the adjustment ofcontrols at intermediate positions as would be required with certaintypes of electric setting circuits. Another advantage resides in thefact that the stencil devices are positively stopped in their requiredpositions when the respective fluid motors reach their stroke limits sothat no latching elements or the like are necessary to preventover-travel. All the motors are of the same general design and differonly in the lengths of their strokes so that, in principle, all unitsmay be of the same type which will facilitate manufacture or procurementthereof.

With the variable data stencil devices A420 to G429 set properly and thepipe positioned at 10, casing 50 is lowered by means of fluid motor 34.If turnbuckle 42is properly adjusted in accordance with the size of pipe10, the masking member will cause the stencil elements A- to G-130 tocontact the pipe smoothly and conform substantially to the surfacethereof. At the same time, the fixed-message stencil device 170 islowered by means of fluid motor 172 so that it will likewise contact thepipe. 'The spray gun 184 is now actuated and'the nozzles 186 are causedto travel over the stencil device 170, through the adjacent opening 79and over the masking member 80 so that marking fluid is applied to thefixed-message and variable data stencil devices to indicate the requiredinformation on the pipe. After the'nozzles 186 have been withdrawn tothe left in FIG. 1 and the stencil casing 50 and stencil device 170 havebeen returned to the positions indicated at 50' and 170' in FIG. 2, thefinished pipe is removed from rollers 24 by the arms 27 rocked asindicated at 27 While the stencilling operation is carried out in themanner described, the next pipe may simultaneously be weighed andmeasured in the position 10 and the respective data stored in the device15%) whereupon this pipe is ready for transfer to the stencillingposition 10. The device is again discharged to reset the stencil deviceswith the casing positioned at 50'. During the resetting, some of thefiuidniotors may be reversed to withdraw their active members, othermotors may be actuated to perform a forward stroke, and still others maybe retained in their previous condition. When the next pipe ispositioned at 10, it will be marked with its characteristics as setforth hereinbefore.

The apparatus may operate in a completely automatic manner by means ofsuitable control elements including limit switches. Thus, the pipe whenreaching the position 10 may actuate the weigh bridge 12 which in turnmay cause the device 14 to measure the length of the pipe, etc.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, itwill be understood that various modifications and changes may be madewithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as definedin the appended claims. For example, the signals for operating theindividual fluid motors may be produced by pushbuttons manually operatedin accordance with characteristics of the object to be stenciled.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for stencilling variable data on an article, comprising astructure supporting the article, means for transmitting signalsconformant to the data to be stencilled, a casing having a stencillingstation, at least one stencil device mounted for substantiallyrectilinear movement relative to said casing and carrying a plurality ofindividual symbols; a plurality of pressure fluid operated motorsarranged in series along a single axis and each having a cylinder memberand a piston member, one of the members of each motor being passive andmounted to remain stationary relative to said casing upon admission ofpressure fluid to its motor alone and the other member being active, thefirst motor of the series having its active member connected to saidstencil device, each other active member of the series being secured tothe preceding passive member, and the passive member of the last motorof the series being anchored to said cas ing; control means responsiveto said signals for selectively actuating said fluid motors to shiftsaid stencil device andbring at least one of its symbols conformant tosaid signals into registry with said stencilling station, and means forfeeding a marking substance to said stencil device at the stencillingstation to mark said article.

2. Apparatus for stencilling variable data on a pipe and the like,comprising a structure supporting the pipe, means for determiningcharacteristics of said pipe including the weight and length thereof andfor transmitting signals conformant to said characteristics, a casingmovable relative to said supporting structure and normally positionedremote therefrom, said casing having a stencilling station thereon, aplurality of adjacent stencil devices each mounted on said casing forrectilinear movement relative thereto and carrying a plurality ofindividual symbols; a plurality of series of double-acting pressurefluid operated motors, the motors of each series being arrangedcoaxially in tandem and each of said motors having a cylinder member anda piston member with one of its members being passive and mounted toremain stationary relative to said casing upon admission of pressurefluid to the respective motor alone and the other member being active,the active member of the first motor of each series being connected toone of said stencil devices, the passive member of the last motor ofeach series being anchored to said casing, and each other passive memberbeing secured to the succeeding active member of the respective series;control means responsive to said signals for selectively actuating saidfluid motors to shift said adjacent stencil devices and bring symbolsthereof conformant to said signals into registry with said stencillingstation while said casing is remote from said supporting structure andpipe, the adjacent registering symbols at the stencilling stationconjointly representing the characteristics to be stencilled; powermeans for moving said casing toward said supporting structure and thepipe thereon; and spraying means cooperating with all of the adjacentsymbols registering with the stencilling station to mark said pipe.

3. Apparatus for stencilling variable data on an object, comprising astructure supporting the object, means for transmitting signalsconformant to the data to be stencilled, a casing having a stencillingstation, at least one stencil device mounted for rectilinear movementrelative to said casing, said stencil device carrying a plurality ofindividual symbols; a plurality of cylinder and piston units arrangedcoaxially in tandem for individual and cumulative movements, the firstcylinder being connected to said stencil device and reciprocable overthe first piston, the second piston being secured to said first pistonand reciprocable in the second cylinder, the third cylinder beingsecured to said second cylinder and reciprocable over the third piston,said third piston being connected to said casing, at least two of saidunits having different strokes; control means responsive to said signalsfor selectively actuating said units to shift said stencil device andadjust the position of its symbols relative to the stencilling stationin accordance with said signals, and spraying means cooperating withsaid stencil device at the stencilling station to mark said object.

4. Apparatus for stencilling variable data on an object, comprising astructure supporting the object, means for transmitting signalsconformant to the data to be stencilled, a casing having a stencillingstation, at least one stencil device mounted for rectilinear movementrelative to said casing, said stencil device carrying a plurality ofindividual symbols with their centers substantially uniformly spaced inthe direction of said movement; a plurality of cylinder and piston unitsarranged coaxially in tandem, the first cylinder being connected to saidstencil device and reciprocable over the first piston, the second pistonbeing secured to said first piston and reciprocable in the secondcylinder, the third cylinder being secured to said second cylinder andreciprocable over the third piston, the fourth piston being secured tosaid third piston and reciprocable in the fourth cylinder, said fourthcylinder being connected to said casing, at least one of said unitshaving a stroke substantially equal to the uniform distance between thecenters of said symbols, the strokes of the other units being a multipleof said distance; control means responsive to said signals forselectively actuating said units to shift said stencil device and adjustthe position of its symbols relative to the stencilling station inaccordance with said signals, and spraying means cooperating with saidstencil device at the stencilling station to mark said object;

5. Apparatus as specified in claim 4, in which said second and thirdcylinders are fastened to a common block arranged thereb'etwee'n, saidcasing having a slideway for supporting and guiding said block.

6. Apparatus for stencilling variable data on an object, comprising astructure supporting the object, means for transmitting electric signalsconformant to the data to be stencilled, a casing having a stencillingstation, at least one stencil device slideably mounted on said casingfor substantially rectilinear movement and carrying a plurality ofindividual symbols; a plurality of double-acting pressure fluid operatedmotors arranged in series along a single axis and each having a cylindermember and a piston member, one of the members of each motor beingpassive and mounted to remain stationary relative to said casing uponadmission of pressure fluid to the respective motor alone and the othermember being active, the first mot-or of the series having its activemember connectcd to said stencil device, each other active member of theseries being secured to the preceding passive member, and the passivemember of the last motor of the series being anchored to said casing;solenoid-controlled valves responsive to said signals for selectivelyactuating said fluid motors to shift said stencil device and bring atleast one of its symbols conformant to said signals into registry withsaid stencilling station, and means for feed ing a marking substance tosaid stencil device at the stencilling station to mark said object.

7. Apparatus for stencilling variable data on an elongated object,comprising a structure supporting the object, a frame extending oversaid structure and object, an actuator mounted on said frame; a casingsuspended from said actuator and movable thereby between an initialupper position and a lower operative position adjacent said structureand object, said casing including a top portion, intermediate membersspaced from each other, a bottom portion having a plurality of adjacentparallel slideways therein, and a masking member representing astencilling station; a plurality of adjacent stencil devices mounted forrectilinear movement relative to said casing, each of said stencildevices carrying a plurality of individual symbols; a plurality of rowsof double-acting (fluid motors, each of said rows being positioned inone of said slideways, the motors of each row being arranged coaxiallyin tandem and each of said motors having a cylinder member and a' pistonmember with one of its members being passive and mounted to remainstationary relative to said casing upon admission of pressure fluid toits motor alone and the other member being active, the first mot-or ofeach row having its active member connected to one of said stencildevices, each other active member of each row being secured to thepreceding passive member, and the passive member of the last motor ofeach row being anchored to said casing; control means for selectivelyactuating said fluid motors to shift said stencil devices and bringsymbols thereof into registry with said stencilling station while saidcasing is in its upper position, and spraying means cooperating with allof the adjacent symbols at the stencilling station to mark the objectwhen said casing is in its lower position.

8. Apparatus as specified in claim 7, in which a block movable in one ofsaid slideways is provided for each of said rows, and in which saidblock is secured to the first active member of the respective row tosupport said member and has an extension thereon for connection to thestencil device associated with said row.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,561,342 Martin Nov. 10, 1925 1,965,751 Rush July 10, 1934 2,077,962Smith Apr. 20, 1937 2,943,562 Phillips et a1. July 5, 1960

